American’s new 777 business class suites: better than first class?

American Airlines is set to rip first class out of its long-range Boeing 777 jets and establish business class as its top offering.

The Oneworld member is not flying solo: a growing number of airlines see the latest business class suites as narrowing the gap to the point where the extra real estate of first class can no longer be justified.

American Airlines' new Flagship Suites business class.

For American Airlines, its Flagship Suites are just that: spacious business class berths with sliding privacy doors, room to work and relax, handy storage nooks, a large HD video screen and wireless device charging (along with AC/USB sockets, naturally).

American Airlines' new Flagship Suites business class.

Flagship Suites situated by the window are angled out so that passengers can take in the view as well as enjoy a little extra privacy from people moving up and down the aisle, even without the suite door closed.

The suites in the middle also face away from the aisle, with a sliding partition which opens up if you’re travelling with a partner.

American Airlines' new Flagship Suites business class.

But if you’re sitting in row 1, it gets even better: welcome to Flagship Suite Preferred, one of four front row suites which embrace the extra space to the bulkhead wall while adding special touches such as a Nest Bedding mattress pad and pyjamas, a throw blanket and a memory foam lumbar pillow.

American Airlines' new Flagship Suites business class.

 There’ll also be what American describes as “an exclusive amenity kit featuring additional skincare products from Thirteen Lune by Joanna Vargas and Relevant.”

Four Flagship Suite Preferred berths will occupy Row 1 on the Boeing 777s and 787s.

American is certain to charge a premium for these four Preferred seats.

However, it’s not yet known if this will be as a paid seat selection or upgrade from standard business class, or if the Preferred suites will be bundled into a revamped version of American’s Flagship Business Plus fares which include first class check-in and access to the ‘first class’ dining room at Flagship Lounges.

Access to the Flagship Lounge first class dining room could be a perk of your Flagship Suite Preferred booking.

The Flagship Suites will replace not only American’s dated 777 first class but also the current business class seats across both the Boeing 777 and 787 fleets.

American's current 777 first class (left) and business class (right).

American Airline’s Flagship Suites will debut on a fleet of made-over Boeing 777s which begin going under the knife by year’s end, before being rolled out on the Boeing 787s from 2025.

As previously reported, American Airlines has also developed single-aisle Flagship Suites for its new A321XLR jets, which will launch in the coming months on domestic transcontinental east-west routes such as Los Angeles and San Francisco to New York and Boston.

The A321XLRs will gradually take over from American’s bespoke A321T (transcontinental) jets, which will be reconfigured to the same two-class spec as American’s workhorse A321 fleet.